His Twenty Six Minutes from Hell
by Bells of Tomorrow
Summary: Now I know my ABC's. Next time, won't you sing with me?


_**A/N:**__ Hey, gang! I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry I haven't written as much as I would've liked to this summer, but I promise it doesn't stem from a passionless mindset (I was away for a month this summer as well, which obviously didn't mix too well with writing time). Anyway, I've been reading more and more work by _**David Levithan**_ as of late, and I just recently read his book _**"The Realm of Possibility"**_ which is a novel in verse (I am a _sucker _for novel in verse). Anyway, there's a section in there _(Section 3 – Jamie – The Day)_ that really inspired me. I was so impressed at his ability to comb through the alphabet the way he did, and wanted to give a go at it myself. I know that sounds a little weird if you haven't read it, but hopefully, you'll know what I mean if you continue on with this particular story. Anyway, that's about it. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I own a very large nothing._

**His Twenty-Six Minutes from Hell**

Arguments between the two doctors were usually pretty  
>abrasive, but never had JD stormed so<br>abruptly out of the  
>apartment, refusing to come back until the older man<br>admitted what he'd done.

Because Perry was not one to  
>back down so easily, he usually<br>bit back until the  
>brunet caved in himself,<br>but no matter how much he tried to

convince himself otherwise, he  
>could not deny that he had<br>cheated on his partner.

Coming into work the next day was a  
>cruelty he knew he deserved.<br>Curious eyes, accusatory glares, and not-so-  
>casual glances were thrown in his direction, but Perry<br>couldn't bring himself to snap at any of them. He knew he

deserved the looks he received; wouldn't  
>dare to suggest otherwise. After all,<br>didn't the same people glare at Jordan when she  
>did to Perry what Perry had<br>done to JD? All those years ago, when  
>Dr. Cox told Carla what the She-<br>Devil had  
>done with Petey, hadn't both<br>doctors and nurses alike gathered together in their  
>disgust towards the late Mr. Sullivan's<br>daughter?

_Everything comes full circle,_ an  
>eerie voice whispered harshly, but Perry knew it was just his usually<br>egotistical mind  
>eating away at his conscience, making him realize without much<br>effort that  
>even he could not defend himself on this one. The one<br>evil he had managed to avoid in this world had

finally caught up to him, and Dr. Cox had  
>failed.<p>

Finally making it to the nurses' station, Perry  
>forwent his usual "morning" to Carla, her<br>fiery stare hitting him like a bare  
>footed kick to the stomach. Her<br>fury and disappointment in him left Perry  
>feeling almost as bad as JD's<br>final words to him yesterday. "I  
>fucked up," he said evenly,<br>forgoing his defensive tone.

Guilt laced his voice, and while Carla knew his words were  
>genuine, she just couldn't focus on the<br>good in him she'd  
>gotten so used to defending. Seeing that his<br>guard was down, Carla bit back.

Hard.  
>"How could you?" she started quietly,<br>her voice quavering in a way she  
>hadn't expected. The Latina bit<br>her lip, not realizing  
>how hard the situation<br>had managed to  
>hit her. "Do you know how<em><br>hurt _Bambi is right now? Do you know the  
>hell you've put him through?" It was<br>here that Dr. Cox made to answer, but Carla  
>hurriedly cut<br>him off. "The sad part is, you _do _know.

It was only a few years ago now that Jordan  
>intentionally went behind your back with borderline<br>indifference. She left you  
>in <em>shambles, <em>Dr. Cox, and how do you respond? By  
>ignoring your history, your morals, your<br>'I love you,' to JD, and letting her get  
>inside your head all over again. Seriously, was<br>it a sudden case of_  
>insanity?<em> What did you  
>imagine would happen after the fact? Did you just –?"<br>"I KNOW!" Carla

jumped at the explosion, not having expected the  
>jolt of obvious despair that laced Perry's voice. "I can't<br>justify what happened, okay? I fucked up, I did. She  
>just waltzed in and said her spiel and all of my<br>judgment on the matter completely crumbled.  
>JD found out because he mentioned<br>Jordan later that night, and  
>just hearing her name had me praying to<br>Jehovah, which you _know_ I don't do, but  
>John, I mean, JD… He just kept staring until his<br>jaw dropped, and then he wouldn't stop saying, "You're  
>joking, you're joking. You have to be joking." A<p>

kind of deep despair took over Perry's features then,  
>kindling whatever sympathy Carla still<br>kept hidden underneath her anger for him. "He  
>knew what happened because I couldn't hide my guilt. I<br>know that doesn't make what I did any less horrible, but I

legitimately felt _disgusted _by what happened, okay?  
>Lying on the matter was not part of the plan."<br>"Like cheating was?" Carla shot back, refusing to  
>let go of her anger towards him. The<br>lump in Perry's throat was practically visible as his  
>lips tightened into a thin, straight<br>line. "_None _of it was part of the plan," he

murmured. "_None_ of it." I planned on keeping JD for  
>months, <em>years <em>– And the only reason I went  
>mute when he started asking why was because the<br>mark that Jordan left on  
>me when <em>she <em>cheated had  
>managed to fuck up pretty<br>much every aspect of my life, and just picturing JD  
>morphing into the person I was back then because of<em><br>my _actions just left me fucking

numb. Carla inhaled slowly, trying to calm her  
>nerves. She watched as the older man flicked his<br>nose in distress, realizing at once that she'd  
>never seen him look so upset; at least<br>not since _he _was the one being cheated on.

Nails drumming on the counter, the  
>nurse finally found her voice as she<br>nailed Perry with a firm stare. Still, there was a  
>notable change in her attitude as she looked at him. She was<p>

obviously still pissed, but her brown  
>orbs held a glimmer of hope as she silently<br>orchestrated what she was going to say next. "You need to  
>own up to what you did," she finally told him.<p>

Perry inhaled deeply, his  
>pain over what he had done to JD more than<br>palpable. "I know," he said finally. "I can say it to you, but  
>phrasing everything the right way to him,<br>picturing the look on his face..."  
>Perry was cut off as a sudden<br>punch to his jaw made the earth

quake underneath him, the  
>quiet conversation he was holding with Carla turning into a<br>quarrel he hadn't prepared for. "Nice

right hook there, Gandhi," he said while  
>retrieving his balance. Perry <em>had <em>expected some kind of  
>reaction from Turk; he just hadn't expected a<br>run in like this. "You're damn  
>right it is!" the surgeon<br>roared back,  
>raring and<br>ready to throw yet another. Perry  
>really didn't want to fight then and there, but<br>running was never an option, even if he knew he  
>really<em> did<em> deserve what was coming. Turk  
>raised his fists and Perry followed suit,<br>rage surging through the surgeon's every molecule.

Still, the older man couldn't let himself  
>swing too hard, JD's overwhelming<br>sadness from the night before still  
>swirling in his conscience as Turk kept on<br>swinging. He fought back, of course, but  
>surprised himself by taking it easy, not wanting to<br>smash JD's heart further by  
>smashing his best friend's face in.<p>

"STOP IT, STOP IT! THE BOTH OF YOU,  
>STOP IT!" Both<br>Sacred Heart employees were  
>startled by the<br>sudden intrusion. They had expected Carla to  
>separate the both of them, but not the doctor who<br>stepped in now.

The look on JD's face as he  
>took them both in<br>tore at Perry's insides, making him want to  
>turn back<br>time and erase the  
>trap he fell into yesterday.<br>"Turk, could you give us a minute?"  
>The surgeon stared worriedly at JD's<br>tasseled hair and  
>tear stained face before<br>turning away with a small nod, shooting Cox one more  
>threatening glare before leaving. Perry<br>tensed as JD's eyes  
>turned to him and him alone, his mouth a<br>thin line as his eyes  
>threatened to spill over.<p>

"Upstairs in five minutes," JD  
>uttered before leaving, and while Perry wasn't<br>usually the one following commands, he listened,  
>unquestioning, knowing how much stress he was<br>under, and that it was all because of him. Five minutes later, Percival  
>Ulysses Cox stood awkwardly on the roof, the sky as<br>unclear as his conscience. JD stared at him,  
>unbelieving, for what felt like hours,<br>until Dr. Cox just couldn't take it anymore. "I'm a  
>useless boyfriend, huh?" Perry had never<br>uttered the "b-word" before, but he felt an overwhelming  
>urgency to do whatever it took to make JD love him again.<p>

"Vicious is more like it," JD said with  
>visible malice, his<br>vendetta against him stronger and more  
>vigorous than Perry expected. "Listen, JD –"<p>

"What were you _thinking?" _ he demanded suddenly. "I_  
>wasn't<em>," Perry countered, his  
>words pouring desperately out of<br>worn out lungs. "There was no _thinking _behind it; no  
>wisdom or logic or anything. I just let her<br>walk in and take over  
>without a<br>word of protest, okay? I admit it. I admit it  
>whole heartedly. I was<br>wrong; _beyond_  
>wrong. There is no right<br>way to apologize for this other than saying how sorry I am. I  
>wish I could do it all again; I<br>wish I could change  
>what I did but I <em>can't.<em> All I'm capable of now is apologizing and  
>wondering<br>whether or not this  
>will…if this<br>will ever pass..." It  
>wasn't until the<br>words left his mouth that Perry knew how his  
>world was going to end.<p>

"X marks the spot, Per," JD said softly, his own

yearnings breaking through as he said it. "I thought  
>you were the best thing to ever happen to me, but after<br>yesterday…" It was here that JD finally broke down and cried, the  
>yellow sun breaking through the clouds and hitting the<br>young man whose heart he just broke. "Newbie," he choked. "I'm so…  
>you're so… God, kid, I'm just so –" JD sniffed.<br>"Yeah, I know. That's what makes this so hard, because I know  
>you aren't really this big of an asshole, but I just…I can't just…"<br>Years seemed to pass before JD finally finished his sentence. "I love  
>you," he said finally. When Perry seemed shocked, he almost smiled.<br>"Yes, you," he added. "But I just can't do this again. Do  
>you…do you understand?" Dr. Cox closed his eyes, inhaled, and answered.<br>"Yes, JD.  
>Yes. I understand..." Without another word, the once<br>youthful doctor turned to go, stopping only when Perry  
>yelled his named. "JD!" A silence, and then, "Are<br>you sure? There's no chance that this, all of this…"  
>Yielding his heart to stop racing, the brunet turned around and spoke:<p>

"Zero," he said softly, before leaving the roof for good.

_**A/N:**__ Depressing ending, I know, but I just didn't see this one ending too well for either of them. As far as the title goes – His Twenty-Six Minutes from Hell – I named it that because I wanted to incorporate the whole alphabet thing (IE, 26 letters in the English alphabet) and because I figured from the time Perry stepped into the hospital from the time JD left him on the roof, that could've easily taken place all in twenty-six minutes. Anyway, yeah…this was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever written, as it proved to be quite a challenge, but that's also what made it fun for me, I'll admit. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this piece in all its strangeness. Until next time!_


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